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Louis Rossmann has talked a lot about why he isn't part of the authorized program. There are two main problems he mentioned, IIRC. (It's been a while, so my me

Louis Rossmann has talked a lot about why he isn't part of the authorized program. There are two main problems he mentioned, IIRC. (It's been a while, so my memory may be wrong or the situation may have changed). Firstly, you can no longer do component level repairs. So replacing some capacitors that got waterdamaged is no longer allowed. This is part of the agreement you make with Apple. Secondly, although you can buy screens and batteries, you can't keep them on stock. You need to get the phone from your customer, then order the parts from apple, then wait for them to arrive, perform the repair, and only then can you finish. If you want to do "While you wait" repairs it's impossible. It's a bad look to go off on a rant about Apple every time a customer asks a question, so I can understand them being annoyed when someone asks them if they're part of the official program.

turquoisevar 3y ago
The component level repair issue I get from both sides. Rossmann obviously wants to continue to be able to provide that service, in part because it’s arguably his specialization. Apple obviously doesn’t want it because even under the best of circumstances it’s difficult to ensure consistency from repair to repair, much less between different technicians or locations. And explaining a customer that while, yes, they did go to an authorized repair shop, but no, that specific repair doesn’t fall under Apple’s warranty or seal of approval, is also a nightmare. Similarly, for keeping parts on stock I can see both sides of the debate. Shops would like to have stuff in stock to provide the best and fastest service available, Apple on the other hand wants to prevent parts from falling in the wrong hands given the already prolific grey market for their parts. I know they’ve already loosened up a bit with some shops that have high volume and good track record, letting them have some common stuff on hand (e.g. batteries, screens, etc.), but there’s also the option to let the customer get the part via the self-repair program and bring it to the store to have it placed. There are two competing interests at play but I think with a bit of compromise in either end a workable solution is possible. As for shops getting pissed when asked if they’re part of the program, I think your explanation is rather poor. It’s equally, if not more of, a bad look to get pissed everything they’re asked that question. If anything it makes them look sketchy when that doesn’t need to be the outcome. People are generally just interested in the quality of the components used and want to know if official components are used to gauge that, as well as know if they can go to Apple should problems arise (i.e. if it’ll be covered by Apple’s repair warranty).
- LightHugger 3y ago
  The only reason apple doesn't want to allow repairs is so they can sell more new ones. This "consistency from repair to repair" is largely a myth used to fool gullible consumers by playing on the assumption that apple actually has a competent repair wing. They do not, so this line of thinking that it's "third party repairs are a problem" is completely unfounded.
  - deleted 3y ago
    [deleted]
  - Retric 3y ago
    Look at a market where repairs are normal. Car manufacturers get a reputation based on used vehicles not just new cars. High resale value translates into higher margins because higher trade in value means purchasers have more money for their next car. Similarly people who used to buy used cars will often move up to buying a new car when their economic situation improves, that makes used cars a valuable form of advertising. In that context Apple likely looks at the used market as quite valuable as long people still consider used iPhones as durable devices worth paying a premium for. They don’t need to sell you 1,000$ phones every year if you’re willing to buy a slightly used phone for 500$ someone else can more easily keep buying the next generation.
  - javajosh 3y ago
    Apple's attitude about repair is a HUGE knock on the brand, at this point. There is no justification for it, apart from greed. Even if they are right and the repair isn't great, which does happen of course, a rational person will blame the repairer, not Apple. So for them to make these paternalistic claims is another HUGE knock on the brand - not only are they greedy, they lie to justify their greed. I don't care how good their products are (and the M1 based laptops are damn good) I'm not giving Apple a dime until this changes (and the batteries are no longer glued into everything).
    - brookst 3y ago
      > a rational person will blame the repairer Why would someone selling a used device disclose that it was repaired for $15 at a flea market? Apple wants their devices to either work great, or not work at all. Sounds like it’s not a brand for you, which is fine. Plenty of other people are happy with the value prop, which is also fine.
philwelch 3y ago
I’m sure Louis Rossmann knows what he’s doing and does a good job, but unless I’m going to go to his shop in…looking it up…Austin if I need my phone repaired, I’m gonna stick with authorized shops because I want to avoid the negative experiences reported upthread.
bombcar 3y ago
It should be possible to have an authorized and unauthorized repair center in the same building, maybe even same store, as legally distinct entities.
ksec 3y ago
I can understand why Apple doesn't want component level repairs because most repair shops dont hit the level required for the job. Rossmann is arguably the top 10% of that level of work if not higher. On the other hand, speaking as an old EE the amount of crap Apple do to their Laptop on newer generation of MacBook circuit. You kind of understand why Rossmann has all the rage. While I am not aware of Apple doing circuit level repairing, at least not since 2001 with first Apple stores opened. Apple's Genius Bar and repairing were there to file all the problems their products were getting in real life usage. So you get some iteration and small improvement every half generation. Somewhere along the line this stopped happening.

turquoisevar 3y ago

The component level repair issue I get from both sides. Rossmann obviously wants to continue to be able to provide that service, in part because it’s arguably his specialization. Apple obviously doesn’t want it because even under the best of circumstances it’s difficult to ensure consistency from repair to repair, much less between different technicians or locations. And explaining a customer that while, yes, they did go to an authorized repair shop, but no, that specific repair doesn’t fall under Apple’s warranty or seal of approval, is also a nightmare. Similarly, for keeping parts on stock I can see both sides of the debate. Shops would like to have stuff in stock to provide the best and fastest service available, Apple on the other hand wants to prevent parts from falling in the wrong hands given the already prolific grey market for their parts. I know they’ve already loosened up a bit with some shops that have high volume and good track record, letting them have some common stuff on hand (e.g. batteries, screens, etc.), but there’s also the option to let the customer get the part via the self-repair program and bring it to the store to have it placed. There are two competing interests at play but I think with a bit of compromise in either end a workable solution is possible. As for shops getting pissed when asked if they’re part of the program, I think your explanation is rather poor. It’s equally, if not more of, a bad look to get pissed everything they’re asked that question. If anything it makes them look sketchy when that doesn’t need to be the outcome. People are generally just interested in the quality of the components used and want to know if official components are used to gauge that, as well as know if they can go to Apple should problems arise (i.e. if it’ll be covered by Apple’s repair warranty).

LightHugger 3y ago
The only reason apple doesn't want to allow repairs is so they can sell more new ones. This "consistency from repair to repair" is largely a myth used to fool gullible consumers by playing on the assumption that apple actually has a competent repair wing. They do not, so this line of thinking that it's "third party repairs are a problem" is completely unfounded.
- deleted 3y ago
  [deleted]
- Retric 3y ago
  Look at a market where repairs are normal. Car manufacturers get a reputation based on used vehicles not just new cars. High resale value translates into higher margins because higher trade in value means purchasers have more money for their next car. Similarly people who used to buy used cars will often move up to buying a new car when their economic situation improves, that makes used cars a valuable form of advertising. In that context Apple likely looks at the used market as quite valuable as long people still consider used iPhones as durable devices worth paying a premium for. They don’t need to sell you 1,000$ phones every year if you’re willing to buy a slightly used phone for 500$ someone else can more easily keep buying the next generation.
- javajosh 3y ago
  Apple's attitude about repair is a HUGE knock on the brand, at this point. There is no justification for it, apart from greed. Even if they are right and the repair isn't great, which does happen of course, a rational person will blame the repairer, not Apple. So for them to make these paternalistic claims is another HUGE knock on the brand - not only are they greedy, they lie to justify their greed. I don't care how good their products are (and the M1 based laptops are damn good) I'm not giving Apple a dime until this changes (and the batteries are no longer glued into everything).
  - brookst 3y ago
    > a rational person will blame the repairer Why would someone selling a used device disclose that it was repaired for $15 at a flea market? Apple wants their devices to either work great, or not work at all. Sounds like it’s not a brand for you, which is fine. Plenty of other people are happy with the value prop, which is also fine.

philwelch 3y ago

I’m sure Louis Rossmann knows what he’s doing and does a good job, but unless I’m going to go to his shop in…looking it up…Austin if I need my phone repaired, I’m gonna stick with authorized shops because I want to avoid the negative experiences reported upthread.

bombcar 3y ago

It should be possible to have an authorized and unauthorized repair center in the same building, maybe even same store, as legally distinct entities.

ksec 3y ago

I can understand why Apple doesn't want component level repairs because most repair shops dont hit the level required for the job. Rossmann is arguably the top 10% of that level of work if not higher. On the other hand, speaking as an old EE the amount of crap Apple do to their Laptop on newer generation of MacBook circuit. You kind of understand why Rossmann has all the rage. While I am not aware of Apple doing circuit level repairing, at least not since 2001 with first Apple stores opened. Apple's Genius Bar and repairing were there to file all the problems their products were getting in real life usage. So you get some iteration and small improvement every half generation. Somewhere along the line this stopped happening.